The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-05-25
Particeps CriminiS.

ing between two of the Judges OF the
Criminal Court, every visitor ts Cm
nese lottery would be fined so, and II
default of payment be imprisoned II
the county Jail for fifty days. A hk'
penaltv would be imposed upon those
having lottery tickets in their posses
sion, whilst penalty Of double TIT
extent would be visited upon the Keep
ers of the places indicated. The goo(
feature of this ruling is, that it makes
the visitors to those unlawful resorts
as we'll as those who hold the tickets
amenable at law, in common with th'
keepers. Within day after the rul
ing, fines were promptly imposed up
on two of the patrons of a policy shop
do not know the provision OF th'
California law under which the SAL
francisco Judges We're enabled t" r"acl
the above salut.vv understanding.
Ii would be well We're the Pennaylva
MIA statute correspondinely c"mprt
hensive--0r rather, that IT We're S'
much more so as to reach offenders
(keepers and patrons) of any and every
nationality, without any reference tc
their Mongolian or other extraction
Let me cite an instance of the manner
i'm which the present partial, non-pu'
nitive system works.
About midsummer of last year, 9
citizen made complaint to the Mayor
(Philadelphia), that a certain we'll
known gambling resort was in full op'
Grafton, as was evident from the fact
that q continuous string of people was
to be seen going in and out OF tue
place. The Mayor responded by SEND,
ing a detail'of officers, who succeeded
in arresting about twenty-five persons,
found engaged in playing pool on
h horse-races. At the hearing before
the magistrate, three of the prisoners
were held as principals to answer at
Court, the remainder were released on
their good behavior. The actual trial
of this case was not reached until q
few weeks ago, about eight months
after the arrests were made. One OF
the three, against whom the evidence
was conclusive as having been Il keep
er of the house, failing to appear, his
bail of $1,000 was forfeited, and 8
bench warrant was issued for his ap-
prehension. The other two defend
ants were discharged, the evidence
failing to implicate them as principals,
Nevertheless, each of the ratronizers
of the place was, with the keeper OF
keepers, 13artic 2los crinainis, and shonld
have been fined, or imprisoned, ol
both, i'm order that something like ~
adequate deterrent effect should havf
been produced, and the commonwealth
reimbursed for its outlay.
may mention here that upon tht
day of the above trial, an old man o
apparently three score years and ten
seemingly in wretched health ama
much broken down, being arra.&n"t
for the kindred offence of policy dea'
ing, was found guilty and sentenced t
four months in prison. The prosecu
tor, q saloon keeper, who Lad purci as
ed ticket, had naught to suffer. Th|
sentence was entirely just so far as il
went, and much needed on the com
munity's behalf, but it was only par
tial. also reflected how unaccordan
with exact justice are mems judg'
ments as compared with those Of the
Omnipotent Arbiter! Here we see
wretched old man, sentenced, anc
rightly SO, to prison cell, and ignohlN
carried away in closed van to hi:
place of incarceration whilst fore
most promoters of the lottery, like tht
TWO Confederate Generals in New Or
leans. fill their pockets with ill-gotlcl
wealth, and are accorded an eNalte,
place among their fellows.
Mention should be made, rs cvinc
ing a more discriminating spirit il
legislation upon gambling than Gcnrr
ally prevails, of the bill introduced hN
Senator Cooper of Delaware, in the
Legislature Of that State. 1t provide!
for furnishing policy gambling Of al
descriptions by q fine of 500 or 81 ,0G0
and an Imprisonment of one to- twelve
months; and further that owners let
ting property for the purpose statco
shall be liable to the same penalty
This is the bill which mysteriously dis
appeared from the clerks desk after i
had nearly passed both Houses, ant
was evidently about to become Il law
"a duplicate bill being thence pre-
sented ard favorably acted OH.
Further, an ordinance was lately
brought before the Board of Alder
men of Richmond, Virginia, which
prescribed that any minor obtaining
liquor in any place where liquor i:
sold should be deemed guilty of a mis-
demeanOr and punished accordingly
The Commonwealth attorney bein!
present by invitation, addressed thu
Board upon the subject, giving it q:
his opinion that such law would pu
the strongest possible impeachment il
the way of the sale of liquor to mi
nors. He had always believed that j
the .freguenters of faro-banks were
punished equally with the Keepers
such places could be more easily brok
en- up, and this ordinance would worl
similarly. The bill passed the Boar'
by large majority, and it is presumed
will not be defeated upon its presenta
ton to the Council. AS an incidenta
remark, will say that the Richmont
Board considered it no usurpation 0
their prerogatives that the prosecuting
attorney of the Commonwealth shoult
express his practical views upon thi:
matter in their presence. The fact:
and the law were successively laid be-
fore them, and avoiding the delay an(
the possible pigeon-holeing of a salu
tary measure by some subcommittee
the Board proceeded straight forward
to the consummation of its good pur
pose. This may have bearing upor
the late action in our Common Coun
Gil, in negativing the proposed invita-
ton to the Mayor to declare in person
his views OH the surface drainage mat
ter.
Finally, adduce the action of the
Michigan House of Representative.
last winter, in passing unanimously